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aparra's Metal Gear Solid: the Twin Snakes (GC)
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| [February 9, 2008 02:04:45 AM]
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GAMEPLAY
I will admit that in my second gamelog, I spent a lot more than 45 minutes playing through the game. Snake has now been captured by Ocelot, and is sitting in a jail, waiting for me to bust him out. The game has become much more emotional. Meryl, the Colonel's niece, has been fighting side by side with snake for a lot of the game. She was just shot down by Sniper Wolf as a trap to lure Snake out so she can get a clear shot off on him. The game offers the player a variety of emotions. I felt sad when Meryl was shot, and even more concerned about Snake and his efforts to save her.
When fighting Psycho Mantis, he plays numerous unique tricks on the player, something that no other game does. He tricks the player by making the screen go entirely black, with the word Hideo written in the top right. This makes the player think the game console was unplugged. He also criticizes your game style, and then reads your memory card and states other nintendo games you have been playing. Lastly, he tells you to put the controller on the floor, and (by the force feedback), he moves it across the floor. All of this humor, and innovative touch add to the creativity of this boss.
DESIGN
Level design in Metal Gear Solid is broken up into numerous sections, each with their own loading zones. There are also elevators for each section that break it up into floors. This level design works great for this game, especially since when you are seen by an enemy, the caution timer resets upon entering a new zone.
Metal Gear Solid delivers a tone in its gameworld of a cold and dark environment. Many of the walls are metallic. The outside areas are covered in snow. You can actually see many of the enemies cold breath in the air. These small little details help enhance the gaming experience.
Cutscenes occur very often in this game. To some extent, they can be obtrusive because they occur so often and typically last anywhere from 10-20 minutes. Also, the radio transmission messages can also be long, and contain no animation. Metal Gear Solid 2 at least had 3D radio transmissions, and it certainly enhanced this mode of cutscenes.
Although this game is not a multiplayer game, my housemate did sit and watch me play for a good 3-4 hours today. The reason is its cutscenes, environments, and character development make it more like a movie than a video game. By giving a very creative storyline with unique characters the player actually cares about, Metal Gear Solid enriches the players gaming experience and keeps them coming back for more. I was very happy to get as far as I did for this gamelog assignment, and will probably be finishing it later tonight.
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| [February 8, 2008 10:43:15 PM]
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SUMMARY
In Metal Gear Solid:The Twin Snakes, you play Solid Snake, a secret agent spy sent into a nuclear base taken over by terrorists on a hostage rescue situation. Originally, your mission is simple, rescue the DARPA chief Donald Andersen and the ArmsTech President Kenneth Baker. However, as you progress further in the game, you realize that the terrorists plan on doing more than launching a nuclear strike, they plan on deploying a large tank like walking robot capable of launching its own weapons...Metal Gear Rex. Solid Snake has had past run ins with Metal Gear in the past, and so it becomes his primary goal to take down the new Metal Gear at all costs.
Metal Gear Solid was originally a Playstation game, and Twin Snakes is a port of it, with updated graphics, gameplay, cinematics, voice overs, and added bonus content. It is a third person stealth action game.
GAMEPLAY
I first played the original Metal Gear game when it came out. I was in Junior High at the time. To date, Metal Gear remains one of the greatest games of all time in my mind, combining great gameplay with an amazing storyline. Revisiting Metal Gear Solid in an updated form floods my memory with reminders of just how amazing of a game it really is. I felt sympathy for the characters again, knowing what was going to happen to them, and what their future held for them. I felt nervous as Snake was wandering the depths of Shadow Moses Island by himself, with only his radio to comfort him. Emotions ranging from sad to anxious overwhelmed me.
One of my favorite elements of the game is the vast array of characters they present, particularly in the bosses. Having only played up to Revolver Ocelot at this point, I remember how amazing of a character he is, and how profound of a character he becomes in Metal Gear Solid 2 and 3. With the ability to use a revolver accurately and precisely, he proves to be a deadly foe. They also presented us to Psycho Mantis, a character who has the ability to read minds and thoughts.
Liquid Snake, the main enemy of the game, is presented in the beginning with very few details. All we know is he is the leader of the terrorist group Foxhound. By keeping the player in the dark during the game about who it is we are actually chasing, they increase the players curiosity and desire to finish the game.
Metal Gear Solid's story is told through a variety of cutscenes and radio transmissions. The cutscenes in this updated version of the game are extremely exaggerated, using a lot of quick cuts and intense fighting scenes. I felt as though many clips were taken straight out of a John Woo movie.
This game relies on stealth as its gameplay mechanic. The player is not supposed to be seen by enemies, nor are they supposed to go on a bloodfest killing everyone in their path. In fact, the entire game can be played through without killing a single enemy. Stealth is key in this game. The player must use all sorts of clever tricks to hide from enemies. For example, at one point, the player has access to a cardboard box that Snake can hide inside of. My heart was pounding when one of the enemy soldiers saw the box, and was curious as to where it came from. Its amazing how profound those types of scenarios can become on a player. When this occurred, I kept silent in real life, thinking that even if I spoke a word, the enemy in the game would hear me.
Overall Metal Gear has an amazing gameplay mechanic, and I can't wait to play some more.
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aparra's Metal Gear Solid: the Twin Snakes (GC)
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Current Status: Playing
GameLog started on: Friday 8 February, 2008
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